Beyond the Game (Out of Reach 2)

“Can I at least get a snack first?”

“Definitely,” I tell her. “I’m going to go peek in and say hi to Dad.”

I head toward the opposite side of the house to where Dad’s office is. As I approach, I hear him talking.

“That’s a tough call,” Dad says. “I know we have a connection to the kid, but we can’t let that influence this decision. And by we, I mean you.” He chuckles.

“The relationship is an issue. I’m not sure where he’s going to end up because of it.” I hear my uncle Drew say, and my heart drops to the floor.

“He’s a good kid and a hell of a ballplayer. I just don’t know if all the drama is worth it,” Dad replies.

I bite down on my cheek to keep the tears at bay. They have to be talking about Cameron. Who else would it be?

“I don’t want the negative media distraction. Especially not after coming off a World Series win,” Uncle Drew says.

I lose my battle with tears as one slips free, rolling down my cheek. Angrily, I swipe it away.

“You need to do what’s best for business. You can’t make this personal,” Dad tells him.

How can he not think that this is personal? He knows what Cameron means to me. And what kind of media distraction are they talking about? The kiss? The media caught us on the field after the sweep, kissing, and they’ve been playing that clip as well as the kiss cam clip from the day we met over and over. I should have known that things weren’t as easy as just letting them go. Now it sounds like our recklessness, not caring who saw us, is going to have Cam losing his job.

Holy shit! The trade rumors. They were true. Uncle Drew is going to trade Cameron. Because of me. The realization has my heart cracking wide open in my chest as pieces of love and hope break off. I can’t let this happen. I have to stop them. My head spins as I think of how I can stop this from happening.

Unable to listen to another word of them deciding the future of the man I love, I turn and see Peyton standing there staring at me. I place my fingers to my lips, telling her to be quiet, as I make my way quietly down the hall. I slip into the half bath just off the kitchen.

Bracing my hands on the counter, I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. Over and over again, I repeat the process until I feel as though I can walk out of here and not freak my little sister out. I take a minute to splash some water on my face, wiping away the tracks of my tears. With my shoulders squared, I open the door to find her sitting on the floor waiting for me.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Nothing. I just realized I have something that I need to do.” I open my arms, and she stands, coming to hug me. “I need to go. Dad’s in his office.”

“I know. I heard him talking.”

“Peyton. Can we keep this between us?” I ask her. “Please?” She nods. “I love you, little sister,” I say, pulling her into another hug.

By the time I make it back to my car, the tears are ready to fall again, but I choke them back. I have to fix this. I just don’t know how. But I need to try. I’m almost back to the condo when I realize I forgot to grab some food. Turning around, I pull into the first drive-thru that I see and order Willow a burger and fries. I don’t get anything for me. My stomach is in knots, and I know without a doubt, anything I eat will come back up.

As soon as I walk through the door of our condo, my phone pings with a message.

Cameron: I miss you. I hope you’re having a good day with Willow.

That does it. A sob breaks free from my chest, and the tears I’ve been battling race down my cheeks.

“Paisley?” Willow asks. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

I hand her the bag of food and fall into the chair, covering my face with my hands, and begin to sob. I feel her beside me as her hand rubs up and down my back.

“You’re scaring me, P. Please tell me what’s going on.”

I nod, and take a breath and tell her what I heard. “I have to fix this.”

“Are you sure they were talking about Cameron?” she asks.

“They had to be. The team was on point this season, Wil. No drama from the press, no scandals. Just me and Cameron. That stupid kiss cam and rumors that the only reason he got his contract was because he was dating me.” It’s because of me and our relationship that he could lose his dream of playing for the Blaze and have to move away from his mom. I can’t let that happen. I can’t be the reason his life is turned upside down.

“Maybe you should call Drew and talk to him.”

“No. That won’t fix this. My dad even told him that he has to make it business, not personal.”